Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune (CT) - FRIDAY, June 28, 1996 Edition: NORTH SPORTS FINAL Section: NEWS Page: 4 Word Count: 413
Jeremy Manier, Tribune Staff Writer.
The move came in a 185-181 vote in the AMA House of Delegates, on the last day of the AMA's annual meeting at the Chicago Hyatt Regency.
Supporters of the proposal pointed to a 1994 study showing that treating HIV-positive women during pregnancy reduced by two-thirds their risk of giving birth to AIDS-infected children.
"We've got a lethal disease that we can prevent, and I think we ought to do it," said Dr. Bill Hall, a member of the Oklahoma delegation that proposed the resolution.
Opponents said making HIV testing a legal requirement might discourage infected women from seeking prenatal care.
"We strongly support and recommend routine counseling but voluntary testing," said Dr. Audrey Manley, the Clinton administration's acting surgeon general and director of the Public Health Service.
Although the AMA's policies carry no legal weight, they form the basis of the group's lobbying efforts. About 40 percent of American physicians belong to the AMA, making it the nation's largest organization of doctors.
A committee hearing Monday foreshadowed the division that characterized Thursday's vote. Manley and others spoke against the resolution, while those in favor cited the 1994 study and "the rights of the unborn child," in the words of one speaker.
From that debate, committee leaders fashioned a compromise version of the original resolution. It included a stronger statement supporting HIV testing and counseling, but stopped short of endorsing mandatory tests.
Although the House of Delegates usually accepts committee recommendations, it voted Thursday to adopt the original resolution without the committee's changes.
President Clinton signed a law in May providing money for voluntary testing of pregnant women, with a provision for mandatory testing if the number of women getting tested doesn't reach 95 percent or the number of newborns with HIV does not decline.
Dr. Nancy Dickey, chair of the AMA Board of Trustees, said after Thursday's vote that the AMA's new policy is "not out of step" with the new federal law.
"We will still be seeking the same kinds of voluntary counseling that the legislation provides for," Dickey said. "This is not intended to be punitive or frightening. It's an occasion to let patients know the good news, that testing can make a difference in the health of their babies."
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